16 Questions We Need Answered After Watching ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

It's been ten years in the making, but Avengers: Infinity War, which was marketed as one of the most ambitious crossover events ever, didn't disappoint, drawing rave reviews from fans all across social media this week.

The 2 hour and 40 minute action-adventure film promised to bring together Marvel's most iconic and beloved heroes, from Captain America to Doctor Strange to Star-Lord, and it does—resulting in an epic convergence of characters unlike anything seen on the big screen before.

***BEWARE: SPOILERS BELOW!***

Infinity War also leaves many stones (no pun intended) unturned, with a handful of lead characters' futures and whereabouts up in the air. After moviegoers are able to fully digest the film's emotional shock ending, they'll likely find themselves with a medley of questions, like, "Where's Hawkeye?" "What's wrong with the Hulk?" and "Is Loki really dead this time?"

What happened to Valkyrie?

At the end of Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie escapes with Thor, Loki, Bruce Banner, Heimdall and the rest of Asgard’s refugees as they head towards Earth. In a mid-credits scene, they’re intercepted by Thanos’ ship, and the opening of Infinity War reveals most of the Asgardians have been killed by the villain and his Black Order. But fierce warrior Valkyrie is surprisingly absent, making us wonder if she was buried in the carnage or somehow escaped during the attack, though some viewers report seeing her dead body among the slain.

Marvel Studios

2

Where is Ant-Man and The Wasp?

Ant-Man made his Avengers debut in Captain America: Civil War when he was enlisted by Sam Wilson (Falcon) to help protect Bucky Barnes from Tony Stark, as well as locate terrorist Helmut Zemo. Despite his involvement in the massive battle at the center of the Civil War, Scott Lang doesn’t jump into the fray in Infinity War.

Marvel Studios

3

What happened to Wong?

After the Black Order attacks New York City at the beginning of Infinity War and Doctor Strange, Tony Stark and Peter Parker depart in the Black Order's spacecraft, Strange’s partner, Wong, returns to the New York Sanctum to protect its mystical secrets. We never see Wong again though, making us wonder if he survived Thanos’ interplanetary genocide.

Marvel Studios

4

Why was Red Skull on Vormir?

When Thanos takes Gamora to Vormir to retrieve the hidden Soul Stone, Red Skull—who originally appeared and seemed to die in the first Captain America film—is revealed to be its keeper. But how did Red Skull get there? Is that where the wormhole opened by the tesseract at the end of The First Avenger dumped him? If so, why?

Marvel Studios

5

Where is Hawkeye?

The last we saw of Clint Barton was at the end of Civil War, when Captain America returned to the Raft to free him, Scott (Ant-Man), Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) and the rest of his imprisoned team after the events at the Siberian Hydra Facility. Despite his importance in the MCU, Hawkeye mysteriously does not appear in Infinity War.

Marvel Studios

6

Why is Black Widow blonde?

Aside from her impressive skills as a trained assassin and spy, Black Widow is known for her fiery red hair, so it’s a shock when Natasha Romanoff turns up in Infinity War with platinum blonde locks. The transformation is ultimately a mystery, but it’s most likely that Natasha changed her look while on the run, in an effort go incognito in the aftermath of the events of Civil War.

Marvel Studios

7

What happened to the Nova Corps?

The opening of Infinity War reveals that Thanos was able to successfully take the Power Stone from the planet Xandar, where it’s been protected by the Nova Corps since the events of the first Guardian of the Galaxy film. However, we never learn exactly what transpired on Xandar: Are the Nova Corps completely wiped out? Did Nova Prime and corpsman Rhomann Dey make it out okay?

Marvel Studios

8

What's wrong with Hulk?

After getting walloped by Thanos at the start of Infinity War, Bruce finds himself unable to transform into Hulk throughout the rest of the film. Why won’t Hulk come out? Is the mild-mannered doctor’s rage beast alter-ego afraid of Thanos? Is there a medication for hulktile dysfunction?

Marvel Studios

9

Is Loki really dead?

In one of the film’s earliest and most shocking scenes, Loki is choked to death by Thanos minutes into Infinity War, right after the God of Mischief attempts to stab the Mad Titan. His neck is crushed and the light dims from his eyes as Thanos drops Loki’s lifeless body at the feet of his brother, Thor. It’s an emotional scene, but we’ve seen Loki fake his death twice before (once at the end of Thor and again at the end of The Dark World), prompting us to wonder: Is this really the last we’ll see of the trickster?

Marvel Studios

10

Why wasn't Nakia at the battle in Wakanda?

Nakia played a prominent role in Black Panther, fighting alongside T’Challa in the battle against W’Kabi and his army towards the end of the film. Unfortunately in Infinity War, she’s nowhere to be seen in the battle against the Black Order in Wakanda. Is she in Oakland, California, overseeing the youth outreach center T’Challa established at the end of Black Panther? Why wasn’t she called back to Wakanda to help against Thanos?

Marvel Studios

11

How did Thanos know who Tony Stark was?

While Tony and Thanos are battling it out on Titan, Thanos indicates that he’s known about Tony, but doesn’t explain how. While Tony has been aware of Thanos’ impending threat since the trauma he experienced in the first Avengers film, it’s unclear how the Mad Titan could have known about Iron Man. Their cryptic connection to each other remains unexplained yet palpable.

Marvel Studios

12

Where has Captain Marvel been this whole time?

In a post-credits scene, just before disintegrating following Thanos’ gauntlet-powered universal mass genocide, Nick Fury sends out a distress signal to Captain Marvel, indicated by the starburst emblem that appears as his message is successfully received. However, Marvel Studios’ upcoming Captain Marvel film—starring Brie Larson as pilot-turned-superhero Carol Danvers—actually takes place in the ‘90s. Does this mean Nick sent a message back in time to Captain Marvel? If not, and she’s out there somewhere, where has she been hiding and what has she been up to in the ten years since Iron Man first appeared?

Marvel Comics

13

Where is Kraglin and the other Ravager factions?

Following Yondu’s death at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, Kraglin takes up learning how to master his late captain’s telekinetic arrow. It also appears like he may join the Guardians on their next adventure, but he’s nowhere to be seen in Infinity War. Similarly, the Ravagers teased at the end of Vol. 2, including Sylvester Stallone’s Starhawk/Stakar, don’t appear in the film either.

Marvel Studios

14

How will Tony and Nebula get off Titan?

After Thanos wipes out half of the universe at the end of Infinity War, causing Star-Lord, Drax, Mantis, Strange and Peter Parker/Spider-Man to disintegrate, Tony and Nebula are left alone, stranded on the deserted planet, making us wonder what the two wounded heroes will do next.

Marvel Studios

15

When will we meet Adam Warlock and what role will he play?

In a post-credits scene inGuardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, disgraced Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha is seen creating a new artificial being that is “more powerful [and] more capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy.” She names him Adam, likely referencing Adam Warlock, who plays an important role in The Infinity Gauntlet comics. While Adam doesn’t appear in Infinity War, it remains to be seen if and when the rest of the Avengers and Guardians will finally meet him.

Marvel Comics

16

What was the one future that Doctor Strange saw in which Thanos is defeated?

When Tony, Peter, Strange and a handful of the Guardians meet on Titan, Strange uses the Time Stone contained in the Eye of Agamotto to view millions of potential futures in an effort to determine which course of action to take against Thanos. When Tony asks how many futures he saw where the outcome included defeating Thanos, Strange replies, “Only one.”

Later, after Thanos impales Tony during battle and is about to kill him, Strange agrees to hand over the Time Stone to the Mad Titan, telling Tony, “There was no other way.” While Strange’s words seem to reference saving Iron Man, it’s possible that the one future he saw in which the villain is defeated actually includes Thanos obtaining all six stones.